July 20, 2011

Immaculate Conception



Again, this is not the best. I like the color but it just accentuate the lack of detail in the face and hands. I see where I need to concentrate harder. Originally done in black and white.

Teresa of Avila...



eh. I'm not happy with this one. Maybe I will go back and add a nice border.

July 18, 2011

holy cards...

... below is the beginnings of a series of handmade holy cards.

St. Mary Magdalene


St. Thomas Beckett


St. Michael the Archangel


St. Anne

July 8, 2011

St. Matthew...

Immaculate Conception...

... a quick after dinner doodle.

busy busy...

... well this is quite a pleasant surprise. It looks like over the course of the next few months I will be designing some Christmas and Easter cards to be sold locally through various Catholic distributors.

I am still going to be doing doodles for my own pleasure and I plan on expanding that into hard-made holy cards. We'll see. Anyway, just thought I would pass on some good news.

July 7, 2011

Catholic Magpies...

... I recently referred to myself as a Catholic Magpie, in that I am attracted to shiny things in the liturgy. This has sparked my imagination and I am working on a illustration to represent this theme.

In Christian symbolism the magpie had gotten a bad rap. It can represent a misfortune or a thieving person, for the birds penchant to covet shiny things. Sometimes a magpie is used as an allegory for the deadly sin of greed.

I think they are lovely birds whose plumage reminds me of a Dominican habit.

In my mind I picture a tiding of magpies gathered on branches of a tree clutching in their beaks various bits of shiny ecclesiastical baubles. Each bird would be a particular saint that was devoted to liturgy, an artist, or some other thing in relation. Their names would be written on the leaves of the branches each bird is perched on. Since they remind me of Dominicans, the saints would be Dominican. Perhaps. I have to stretch my imagination and knowledge of saints.

Something like this...



What saints can you think of that fit this description?

July 4, 2011

The Pelican in Her Piety...

... the Pelican in Her Piety is an allegorical depiction of Christ. In bestiaries, the heraldic mother pelican plucks at her own breast in order to draw blood for to nurture her young. This is known as vulning, in Latina vulnera, where the word 'vulnerable' is derived.

It is an image of self sacrifice.

Evangelists...

... it's pretty basic now but I intend to add more color for a stained glass effect.